章 40: Hours Before the Wedding

Once the coast was clear and the girls were sure Meredith Scott and Warren Strobe were gone, Lily and Roselle heaved sighs of relief.

"Uh, Ro?" Lily raised a brow and gestured her head towards their hands, which were still clutching each other.

Roselle snatched her hand away and rolled out of under the bed. She swiped water droplets off her face, and wiped her sweaty hand on the blanket.

Lily got out from under the bed too. "God, I think I'm gonna throw up. That was disgusting."

"And scary." She shuddered.

"Do you see what I mean now?" The heiress pouted. "Daddy doesn't care if I'm happy. All he cares about is his stupid politics."

"You need to fight back! We can't just let him win like this."

"Get out, Ro," Lily said, crossing her arms. "I have no choice in this. Now stop flirting with my fiancé. It's embarrassing."

Roselle knew that she was going to have to admit defeat this time, so she nodded and headed out the door. Even if she didn't get exactly what she needed out of this party, she still acquired some very interesting intel.

* * *

The following Saturday morning, snow sprinkled on Washington D.C. Roselle dreamily watched it fall. One snowflake in particular landed on the window, and somehow, it glittered differently from the rest. She slowly reached her hand out to touch it, but before she could, the wind blew it away. She watched it drift off until it was no longer visible to her. She knew she'd never see it again.

"So, not even Lily wants to marry Parker," Grandma Scott said. She nipped on her tea. "How very fascinating."

Roselle had told her what happened between herself and Lily, excluding the part where she eavesdropped on the conversation with Warren.

"Warren . . ." Dylan said. He shut his eyes tight and placed his head in his hands.

"I've got some more fascinating news," Grandma Scott continued. "Lily Strobe isn't pregnant.

Roselle whipped her head at her. "Are you sure?"

The old woman nodded. "I've done some digging around, and I can't find a single doctor's appointment where she ran any pregnancy tests, or even a baby checkup."

"That doesn't one hundred percent mean she isn't pregnant."

"Perhaps not, but it's still incredibly suspicious."

"Why would the Strobes lie to Armani about Lily being pregnant?"

Grandma Scott stirred a silver spoon in her cup. "You're the Parker expert. You tell me."

"Well . . ." Roselle racked her brain. "Armani did say that he wanted kids. I think since he was an orphan at such a young age, he really wants a family . . . If Warren Strobe lied about Lily being pregnant to increase the odds of him marrying her, that would just be . . ." She shuttered. "That would be pure evil."

"The wedding is tomorrow." Dylan wiped his glasses on his tie and put it back on. "What are we going to do?" He eyed Roselle, and she knew he was talking to her rather than his grandmother.

Roselle shrugged in defeat. "Well, what about telling Armani about Lily's fake pregnancy?"

"This is a delicate matter," Grandma Scott intervened. "I don't think we could use that until fate permits it. If we reveal her suddenly, Warren will be outraged." She groaned. "I didn't want to have to do this, but Warren's left me no choice. Tomorrow, you both have to go to the wedding and object. Make a huge scene."

Roselle and Dylan exchanged glances.

The old woman continued. "You must both enter the altar dramatically at the same time and object when the priest says 'speak now or forever hold your peace'. When they ask for an explanation, Roselle, you have to tell the room that Lily loves Dylan, not Armani. Make it romantic and grand, like in the movies."

Roselle separated the ends of her hair into sections, carefully ensuring that each section had an equal amount of strands. "I . . . I don't think I can do that. That's too much pressure, and if it ended badly, that'd be humiliating."

"Not to mention I'm not invited," added Dylan.

"I can get someone to bring you as their plus one," Grandma Scott assured her grandson. "Roselle, I have one thing to say to you."

She fidgeted. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry I got you involved in all this political drama," she said, setting down her tea. "I won't force you to participate in my plan any longer. I should have never put this pressure on you."

Roselle gaped her mouth wide open. "I'm surprised to hear you say that."

"What do you intend on doing tomorrow?"

She exhaled. "Honestly, I think I'm just going to do Lily's hair and then go home. I don't think I can watch that wedding." Her hands were balled into fists. "It'd be too much for me."

"I see. Well, I won't stop you. You're free to do as you wish."

"Thanks." She turned her attention back to the snowflakes falling outside. If the only snowflake that amused her earlier was gone, was there any real point in watching the snow?

* * *

That Sunday, the wedding was being held at a giant church where hundreds of people would be seated to witness the marriage of Armani Parker and Lily Strobe. Reporters and paparazzi surrounded the area too, trying to get footage of the event. Too bad for them, the wedding was being heavily guarded by the secret service and security.

Michelle and Roselle finished up the final touches of Lily's hair and makeup. They styled her in a way that was fairly simplistic, yet enchanting. Her ink-colored hair was curled up and laced with flower-styled seams that matched her princess wedding gown, and her natural-looking make-up made the blue in her eyes pop out even more than usual.

"Woah." Lily's maid of honor dropped her jaw. "Girl, you look beautiful! I could cry."

Lily looked in the mirror and had the same response. "Oh my God, you're right! I do!"

"You're welcome," Roselle mumbled.

Michelle nudged her sister's shoulder. "I am so happy for you. You're going to make an amazing first lady."

"Uh, yeah." Lily's smile transformed into a frown, and she looked over at Roselle. "Are you staying for the wedding by the way? You never turned in your RSVP. It's super tight, but I can still get you a spot."

Roselle breathed in through her teeth. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass. I have something to take care of back at home."

The heiress gulped and laughed nervously. "Yeah, maybe it'd be best if you weren't there anyway. I wouldn't want you to do anything crazy like have you object." Another nervous laugh.

She staggered back. Did Lily somehow know about Grandma Scott's plan? She already agreed not to do it. She shook her head. "You don't have to worry about that."

"Oh . . ." Lily looked at her own reflection again. "Well, looks like I'm ready to get married now. To Armani. Forever." She gave off low energy. "Yup, this is really happening. Yay."

"Well, congrats." Roselle turned to her sister. "Can we talk in the hallway for a minute?

* * *

The Reyes sisters went outside of Lily's dressing chamber and simultaneously swooped in to give one another a big warm embrace.

Michelle sniffled and wiped tiny droplets from her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to stay just for today?"

"I can't." Roselle stared at the floor. "It'd hurt too much."

"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself? I can come with you!"

She placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Look, I know you've been trying to look out for me all these years, but you can't hold yourself back because of me. You've got so much going on for yourself here. Your dream business is booming, you have Dan now, and you've made so many friends. It's time for me to let you go. I'd be a bad sister if I made you come home with me."

"But . . . my dream would feel empty if you weren't here to live it with me!" Michelle finally let out a sob. "I told you that I only stayed with you because I didn't want you to be alone, but the truth is, you're my best friend. I'll feel alone without you too." Her tears mixed with her mascara and foundation, creating an ashy trail down her cheek.

Roselle wanted to sob as well, but she forced herself to be strong for her younger sibling. She placed a subtle smile on her face. "You're my best friend too. This isn't goodbye forever, okay? You can visit me any time."

They shared another hug.

"I have to go now," Roselle said, letting go. "Thank you though. Even if things didn't work out, I'm so happy you pushed me outside my bubble. I had fun, but it's time to go. Now, fix your makeup, would ya? You look like a racoon."

Michelle touched her cheeks and gasped. She took out a mini mirror, and fixed up her makeup. While she was distracted, Roselle slipped away.

There was just one more person she had to see one last time before her flight back to Michigan: Armani Parker.